FORT WORTH, Texas – With the fourth season of PBR Camping World Team Series season set to begin next month inside Paycom Center as the Oklahoma Wildcatters host each of the league’s other nine squads July 11-13, we’re quickly reminded how much we’ve missed the camaraderie-driven series.

The celebrations are grand.

The smile-forward exchanges that much more electric.

And, straight up, there’s just something a bit more energetic about sharing the battle and glory with some of the sport’s fellow great athletes.

But at the end of the day (game, event, regular season and PBR Teams Championship, really), each of said 10 squads will have just one cowboy leading the charge when it comes to individual performance.

Since seeing each organization welcome some talent to the fold during last month’s 2025 PBR Teams New Rider Draft, we’ve got a little bit better of an idea at how this season’s drama could play out.

At the same time, the 5-on-5 landscape has presented endless opportunities for the sport’s next big thing to present itself.

So, while we’re rather pumped about the approaching 2025 iteration of team-vs.-team theatrics, PBR.com is looking back on the 2024 campaign’s standouts, specifically zeroing in on each team’s top-performing rider when it came to last year’s MVP race.

Sure, it’s great to step up here and there for the men you share a locker room with.

But it’s the riders who consistently give their all while producing some of the rankest rides in the sport who deserve a little extra love this time of the year – And that’s exactly what we’ll give them!

Arizona Ridge Riders: Eduardo Aparecido (17-for-29)
The man they call “Fast Eddy” in Eduardo Aparecido didn’t waste any time during his third season repping the Teton Ridge-owned entity. And while it was a down year overall for Head Coach Colby Yates and friends, seeing the veteran pace his pack for the first time while recording his third-straight Top 13 finish within the MVP race rankings has to be quite the encouraging sign for the team’s odds of bouncing back in 2025. Finishing the year 17-for-29, he logged five more conversions than his teammate Keyshawn Whitehorse did last time out. However, if the Ridge Riders want to find themselves competing inside T-Mobile Arena this fall, they’ll need to see Aparecido return to form after turning in a No. 24 rank during the 2025 UTB season. 

Austin Gamblers: Jose Vitor Leme (21-for-32)
After fans were forced to watch a majority of the 2024 Unleash The Beast campaign sans the “Champ” in Jose Vitor Leme, they had to be pretty content with the effort the Brazilian brought back to the dirt during last year’s PBR Camping World Team Series slate. Leading the way for his Gamblers group courtesy of a 21-for-32 slate, he finished fourth in the 2024 MVP standings after securing the honors during both the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Yet, it was the gold buckle he shared with his Austin contingent which represented the topper on the cake. Despite the team having one of, if not the most loaded roster in the league, Leme produced six more rides than 2018 PBR World Champion Kaique Pacheco last season as he continued to carve out his legacy. And while Leme recorded several conversions throughout the regular season, it was his 4-for-5 slate in Sin City which ultimately made him the Gamblers’ MVP during their trophy-earning campaign. 

Carolina Cowboys: Cooper Davis (18-for-26)
Fans witnessed a pretty damn efficient season from the 2016 PBR World Champion in Cooper Davis last summer. Knowing he took another season of UTB competition off in 2025 suggests he’s going to be just as fresh and hungry when Wildcatter Days rolls around July 11-13. But it’s his 2024 work of art we came to celebrate after the veteran turned in a team-leading 16-for-28 record. Quite literally living out the “walk it like I talk it” lifestyle after providing fans and riders alike with some real-time commentary via event streams, taking a step back and seeing things from a different lens has truly helped Davis extend his prime window to compete. He may have only outperformed his teammate Daylon Swearingen by two conversions (14-for-28), but the Piffard, New York, native is a World Champion in his own right and will likely challenge Davis for the top spot by the time this summer’s regular season is in the books. 

Florida Freedom: John Crimber (26-for-40)
Quite literally setting the bar while getting his first taste of camaraderie-driven action, 2024 PBR Teams MVP John Crimber brought some electricity with him to each and every stop along his rookie journey en route to earning a chart-topping 26-for-40 record. Owning two more conversions than the Texas Rattlers’ Brady Fielder and 14 more than his closest teammate in Alex Cerqueira, it’s clear just how much Crimber did both on a team and league level. All just months after challenging 2024 PBR World Champion Cassio Dias for the sport’s grandest gold buckle. 

They call him the sport’s next big thing for good reason – and the youthful phenom has delivered during his first official year of top-tier competition. Which means guys are likely going to need more than 26 qualified rides in 2025 if they want to beat out the red, white and blue Florida Freedom stud. Sure, he attempted the most bulls throughout the summer, 40 to Fielder and Dias’ 34. But when your dad Paulo Crimber is calling the shots, you know you’re going to get the nod in the Shootout Round more times than not. Especially if the star plans to chase down a second-straight MVP crown.

Kansas City Outlaws: Sandro Batista (22-for-33)
With zero disrespect to the Brazilian cowboy in Sandro Batista, we would’ve lost a bet had you asked us if a rider other than Dias would’ve finished as the Kansas City Outlaws’ top contributor in 2024. However, it was Batista who recorded two more conversions than Dias after turning up the heat significantly down the second-half stretch. Producing 22 qualified rides to Dias’ 20, the lanky cowboy made it look easy once he found his footing. Finishing with the third-most successful outs of all riders who competed last summer, the 25-year-old had his full skillset on display despite regularly being challenged by the rankest bull in his team’s pen. Which didn’t stop him from enjoying his best 5-on-5 season to date. After riding exactly two-third of the bulls he attempted (22-for-33: 66.67%) it’ll be hard for him to best his effort from last season. But if we know anything about J.W. Hart, Guilherme Marchi and company, they’ll be pushing their athletes to the brink. 

Missouri Thunder: Paulo Eduardo Rossetto (17-for-28)
If the switch-hitting (riding) legend in Paulo Eduardo Rossetto solidified himself as a world title contender during the 2025 UTB season then we’ll say his performance throughout the 2024 summer series was his “welcome to the show” moment stepping up for his Missouri Thunder team as the pack leader despite the organization sending a first-round selection to acquire star Boudreaux Campbell just months before the season started. Finishing seventh overall in the MVP race via his 17-for-28 (60.71%) slate, his adaptability and willingness to ride into either hand provided the biggest wild card flexibility out there for Head Coach Ross Coleman and friends. Nearly doubling Campbell’s total, 17 to Boudreaux’s 9, it’s clear who the Thunder will turn to in 2025 to likely lead the way once more. And if they can get Andrew Alvidrez going again after a productive UTB campaign, they’ll be a dark horse when the summer slate rolls around. 

Nashville Stampede: Silvano Alves (11-for-26)
Naturally, No. 20-ranked Silvano Alves paced his Nashville Stampede squad during what ended up being his final season competing within the 5-on-5 landscape. Thankfully, the Stampede have retained his wisdom and time as the team’s Assistant Coach, but they’ll likely have to turn to the youngster in Kaiden Loud to lead the way in 2025. He likely would’ve in 2024 had he not been dealing with an injury – But we’re here to give Alves his flowers after he pieced together an 11-for-26 slate during his final go. With the exception of the New York Mavericks, Alves’ 11 conversions rank second-fewest amongst team leaders in 2024. Fellow veteran Alan de Souza turned in nine qualified rides of his own, but overall, it wasn’t a very competitive season for the 2022 PBR Champions. How, or if they can turn things around under the guidance of Alves and Head Coach Justin McBride remains to be seen. The one thing we know is the squad will have a new leader when it comes to rides in 2025. 

New York Mavericks: Mauricio Gulla Moreira (7-for-24)
Serving as the lowest-ranked top performer of the group at No. 30, Mauricio Moreira was one of the lone bright spots for the expansion unit Mavericks last summer. At the same time, he was signed as a free agent last year, so the team had to be pretty happy for what they got out of him, all things considered. Had they known he would lead the charge with seven rides ahead of the season, there’s a chance they would’ve went a little harder in the trade market – But with the team getting some affairs sorted and turning over their roster a bit, we can expect some regression to the mean for the team and its individual riders alike. After claiming the 2025 PBR Rookie of the Year honors, Hudson Bolton figures to lead the charge during his sophomore season. He’ll have to improve on his 5-for-15 record from his rookie campaign, though. Teammate Mason Taylor technically also recorded seven conversions on the season but was ranked No. 31 to Moreira’s No. 30 rank within the MVP standings. 

Oklahoma Wildcatters: Eduardo Matos (18-for-29)
Most would’ve assumed we’d be chatting about Cort McFadden here after seeing the rookie storm into his first season and turn heads within UTB competition. However, it was his teammate in Eduardo Matos who produced the bar-setting slate during the team’s first-ever season with J.B. Mauney steering the ship, eventually finishing No. 6 overall in the MVP race to McFadden’s No. 16 effort (13-for-29). Of course, safe money is on McFadden to lead the way in 2025, but 2024 belonged to Matos, who produced an encouraging 18-for-29 record. Which was a bit of a surprise considering the 23-year-old brief resume heading into the season.

But you won’t hear Mauney or teammates complaining about their star who came out of left field. The Brazilian may have only been tied to one 90-pointer during his rookie campaign but at 92.5 points, it’s quite the statement and flash of potential the Wildcatters will continue to build around.

Texas Rattlers: Brady Fielder (24-for-34)
With team coaches able to select any of their available riders to participate in the Shootout Round at the end of each game day, all opportunities aren’t necessarily created or divided equally. But that’s part of the beauty in Fielder and Head Coach Cody Lambert’s relationship, as Lambert believes Fielder has the talent to knock down just about any bovine athlete he’s matched against. Just look at the first-ever Great 8 Award as proof, knowing the Australian maintained the highest ride percentage amongst the entire tour’s group of contestants. Finishing second overall in the 2024 PBR Teams MVP race, Fielder’s 24-for-34 (70.59%) record fell short of only Crimber’s elite mark. Which only reminded the Rattlers personnel how close they are to becoming the first team to win a second PBR Teams Championship. 

Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media